Duet of Twin Blades
by Nitrovast
Summary: A dark shadow has fallen over Aincrad. Asuna Yuuki, the Lightning Flash, is dead, betrayed by one of her own. Her partner Kirito is lost, his only anchor a spritely clearer by the name of Yuuki Konno, but her past hides its own scars. Will two damaged warriors blossom into something more or will the growing storm tear them, and any hope of salvation apart for good?
1. Chapter One: Thawing the Heart

_Aincrad, Floor 64: Labyrinth 8:46 PM AST (Aincrad Standard Time)_

Sweat poured down the swordsman's face as he shifted his weight to his right foot, pivoting with it he used the momentum to carve a diagonal path across his opponent with almost surgical precision; the ebony tinted longsword raking a crimson line through the level forty mob for the last time. Upon its arc concluding the mob burst into thousands of particles of light that hung like a shimmering veil in the air before disappearing, emitting a soft tinkling sound as they did leaving only the longsword user in their wake. The figure sagged slightly as he lowered his sword, his breathing becoming ragged, he took a moment to compose himself, his free hand slowly raising to open the status window, to see the fruits of his labours.

(Kirito: Level 80) Was embossed in bold letters across the top of the window, grinning to himself he allowed a sense of accomplishment to wash over him. The field boss had pushed him the final two levels to eighty as well as rewarding him a substantial amount of Col. He glanced at his health bar, alarmed at the red-tinted display that greeted him, another solid few hits and the boss would have fully drained it. A death sentence in this world.

"Lucky again" he mused as he pulled the cap off a health potion after sheathing his sword in the scabbard that was secured to the back of the black overcoat that was draped across his modest figure.

"That'll run out one day y'know?" an amused voice replied from behind him, he spun sharply; throwing the now empty potion bottle and unsheathing his sword once again in one fluid motion, his dark eyes scanning for the source of the new presence. "You REALLY need to loosen up Ki'" a violet haired girl giggled as she spoke once again, "Can't a girl just say 'Hello' without the constant threat of decapitation?"

Kirito let out a long winded groaned as he lowered his weapon, the voice and it's owner all too familiar. "Yuuki... you know full well that you shouldn't sneak up on people, especially here" he gestured to the towering walls of the labyrinth around them.

"We both know your ALWAYS on edge Kirito" she replied, her tone shifting slightly to reveal a more serious edge. "But that's just part of the reason your such a good swordsman, huh?" her voice gradually returned to its usual light hearted pitch with her last comment as she fixed Kirito with a beaming smile on Kirito while moving to meet his eyes.

The two warriors had met on the front lines sometime after Floor 40 had been cleared; the pair had become an unofficial party of sorts with Kirito's actual partner and eventual wife, Asuna, busy with her duties as second in command of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

The two had fought alongside one another through various fields and bosses, building a reputation as they carved through Aincrad with record breaking speed; That was until Kirito had suddenly vanished from the front lines for months on end with no explanation or forewarning. Upon his return he was stony and silent, placing distance between himself and the Clearing Group, with Yuuki finding the normally animated Kirito mute and subdued. Eventually, the reason for his absence was unveiled.

Clearers were simply informed that Asuna had been murdered by a traitorous member of KOB by the name of Kuradeel and the once mighty guild was to be pulled from the front lines for a supposed restructuring.

Kirito broke off from the group after the news broke; seemingly resolved to becoming a solo player once more.

The fire that had burned a path for the clearers was suddenly extinguished, it's last embers trampled with the Black Swordsman's departure.

Kirito had maintained radio silence, the only means of contact being a direct message which was more than often ignored. The swordsman's solitude was only broken when Yuuki had jumped into the line of fire to rescue him from a field boss that had almost got the better of him, his health deep in the red and sword disarmed.

Despite his complaints he could not ignore that had Yuuki not stumbled across him and intervened he would have been dead. A fact she had drilled into him with a tongue lashing that was probably heard even in the deepest recesses of the First Floor.

The scolding he could deal with. The tears were a different matter entirely.

Contact had slowly returned but his solo status was maintained, even if he had sworn to be less of a "reckless, suicidal, asshole." as a near hysterical Yuuki had put it.

"I suppose." Kirito, flashed one of his rare grins, Yuuki's upbeat attitude was infectious to all who surrounded her, himself included. He looked his former partner up and down, checking for any battle damage and noting the subtle differences to her attire from their previous meeting.

Yuuki's long lived lavender skirt and leotard had vanished; in their place were a pair of black combat shorts that came to the lower portion of her thigh, a matching shirt and a waist length jacket that was finished in her signature purple. Kirito felt surprise flicker across his face as he met her eyes once more; they had changed along with her outfit.

Grey shadows ringed the pale cream of her sockets, the once boundless energy that had filled the crimson orbs to the brim had dimmed slightly. For someone so young she looked so very old.

"Yuuki... are you doing okay... you look kind of..." Kirito hesitated, mentally kicking himself for even opening his mouth as the grin slipped from Yuuki's face.

The swordswoman barked out a laugh at his hesitation, "Shit?" she finished for him, "It's what's trying to organize and operate the front lines singlehandedly will get you I guess."

Kirito winced at the bitter tone with which she spoke. _"It's my fault she even has to shoulder that burden... but then again, how could she ever expect me to stay after Asuna..."_ Kirito shook his head vigorously, a breakdown was the last thing he needed.

Yuuki sighed and looked back at him once more, a tired smile replacing the previous ear splitting grin.

"It's just good to see your still just about standing, what would we be without our big gun?" they both chuckled softly at her wisecrack, fatigue lacing both of their tones.

"Well, knowing you, you've been out here all day huh?" she continued after a moment of mutual silence; "Fancy finding an Inn to crash at?"

Kirito snapped out of his haze and glance at the clock to the right of his vision, slightly surprised at how fast time had snuck by.

"Yeah... looks like I have been here since 6am...'" he replied, feeling his limbs grow leaden as the countless hours finally caught up to him.

Yuuki smiled softly in response, "Luckily for the both of us I came across a village a ways back, looked kinda small but from what I saw it seemed to have something approximating an inn."

Kirito nodded in agreement, "Lead the way, oh fearless leader."

Yuuki snorted in mild amusement and set off out the cavernous Labyrinth, her fellow warrior in tow.

"Welcome to QROW" Yuuki read from the arched entrance gate. They had arrived after a hours walk, one that both sword users had complained at length about.

The town before them was small with a rustic air, with narrow cobbled streets that snaked their way through small, squat buildings as smoke rose from chimneys dotted atop them. NPC's busying themselves with whatever pre-programmed tasks the Cardinal System had assigned to them.

"There's your inn" said Kirito his eyes darting to a petite building a ways along the ramshackle path, "If it qualifies as one."

The pair eventually made their way inside with Yuuki striding up to the front desk to order two rooms with Kirito collapsing into one of the many wicker chairs that dotted the small lobby.

He only took the liberty of looking up when Yuuki finally returned, her expression an odd mix of irritation and a trace of embarrassment.

"Soooo... did you get them?" Kirito questioned one thin eyebrow raising at the girls odd expression.

"Well, there was only one available, so unless your planning on sleeping alongside the ever so friendly mobs we are going to be sharing." she offered, her cheeks bearing the faintest trace of scarlet.

"That's fine" he assured her, unfazed. "I'll just take the floor or something."

"Ahhh... the chivalrous nature of a true gentleman. Bravo my good sir!" she roared with laughter as Kirito let out a suffered groaned, taking the room key and marching ahead of the highly amused woman.

Yuuki was sat on the plush bed in her nightgown, a brush tangled in her copious lilac locks as Kirito came out the bathroom, dressed in his own black sleepwear.

In line with his previous offer he was ready to spend a less than pleasant night on the polished hardwood floor while his counterpart slept in oversized bed that been crammed into the tiny room; a grimace was just about to rise to his lips when he heard Yuuki clear her throat.

"Hey, Ki?" he turned his head towards her as she placed her hairbrush down on the vast expanse of the bed, her eyes already trained on him.

"Considering how uncomfortable that floor looks and the ridiculous size of this bed, I think I can bear to share." she finished, gesturing to the king sized bed that seemed to fill half the small room.

Kirito ignored the feeling of heat rising to his cheeks and grinned at her. "What is this? A sappy teenage romance novel?"

Yuuki laughed once more, shooting him a dangerous look. "You know as well as I do that if you try anything _close_ to something you'd find in one of those cursed books your getting drop kicked in _Target Point A._ "

Kirito cringed slightly at the thought and crossed his arms in a mock surrender before, with slight hesitation to his steps, moved to one side of the bed, climbing under the covers as he did.

Yuuki fiddled with the inventory screen for a moment, stowing her hairbrush and discarded combat gear before climbing into the other side of the large bed. True to Yuuki's word the bed still allowed for a large gap between its occupants, and Kirito immediately began to drift off among the soft embrace of the quilt; he was only kept from falling asleep from a soft tremor from the other side of the mattress.

Realizing it was Yuuki shaking under the bedclothes he called out hesitantly.

"Yuuki are you sure your ok with this?" he asked, doubt creeping into his voice.

"Yeah I'm all good just kinda... cold" Yuuki replied her tone quiet.

"Can I-" she stopped seemingly contemplating the right words "Can I move closer?" she finally said her voice even quieter.

Kirito remained silent for a moment before his face split into a mocking grin.

"What was that about 'No sappy romance novel esque behaviour' Yuuki?" he murmured back, his tone laced with a mocking jive.

"Urgh, you're insufferable!" Yuuki moaned, giving him a weak shoulder punch in response.

Slowly she shifted herself towards him her head resting on the pillow, eyes clouded with sleep.

"That better?" he questioned, as her eyes began to drift shut her mouth opening slightly to reply.

"Mhmm." was all he got before she slipped into sleep.

 _Authors Note: Thank you all for reading the first chapter of Duet of Twin Blades, this is a re-write of a story I had previously posted on another site; this is a far better example of the story as the old variant was riddled with issues from my inexperience with writing FF. I will continue to rework the existing chapters and this story should see fairly consistent updates due to the groundwork having already been laid._

 _Till next time!_


	2. Chapter Two: Festering Wounds

" _Forgotten her already_?" The voice sneered, disgust dripping from each syllable.

Kirito recoiled at the words as one might to a snakes bite, sweat dripping from his raven hair and down his sickly face; his dark nightclothes clinging to him like chains, sodden as a result of his panic.

" _What has it been? A matter of months and you've already moved on_?" the voice penetrated the deepest recesses of his mind, brief flashes of cherished moments long passed flooding his vision.

 _A young woman with flowing strawberry-blonde hair rode atop his shoulders, giggling madly as she was rocked by the fast pace run he had broken into..._

 _The same woman, her eyes wide and gentle as she doted on a small raven haired girl, her soft tresses hanging over the child in a protective fashion..._

 _The woman letting out a wet choke, her hazel orbs wide as she stared in disbelief at the steel grey of a sword tip protruding from her armour clad chest... a maddening, haunting laugh overriding the sound of her shattering like glass, lost to the carefree breeze..._

Kirito keeled over the cold ceramic sink of the hotel bathroom as the sharp sting of bile rose in his throat; fresh, salty tears joining the ever present sweat on its trek down his paling face. His eyes screwed themselves tightly shut, as if the gesture would stave off the voice which again reverberated around the quaint room.

 _"You failed her! Abandoned her! And how to you honour her passing?"_

The voice briefly feel silent as if to let the boy wallow in his misery before resuming it's assault.

 _"You let a plain, simple minded girl make you weak and vulnerable; you let her take you away from your mission and you gladly followed like her lapdog!"_

Kirito could only issue a groan of distress, his limbs feeling leaden; finally finding the strength he uttered in little more than a whisper.

"I... I haven't forgotten her... I could never forget As.. Asuna."

The voice simply snorted; " _That_ _Girl_ _-_ " it emphasized the word " _Girl_ " as if talking of a foul creature of the night, " _-In the bed next door would lead me to think otherwise._ "

Kirito froze solid at the reply, his sounds of distress coming to an abrupt halt; he stared wide eyed at the bottom if the sink for minutes as the tears continued to roll down his sickly skin.

Gradually his slender frame started to shake with sobs; The voice capitalized on the situation and whispered in a mocking jubilant tone.

" _You care deeply for her don't you_?"

The absence of any reply from Kirito silence seemed to aggravate it, the malicious tone grew deep and heated;

" _Asuna was just a throwaway then_?"

Kirito choked, his eyes widening...

" _A disposable item_ "

He gasped for air, his hand gripping down tightly...

" ** _A spare_** "

 _A final image came into focus... the woman, her skin pulled taunt by the hands of decay, eye sockets empty and bloody, her once rosy lips now blackened and twisting to form the same words over and over; "YOU DID THIS, YOU DID THIS, YOU DID THI.."_

Kirito's black pupils rolled up as the voice shrieked his sins; his knees buckled beneath him and he fell sharply forward, his head striking the sink with a sickening _crack_ before he finally fell to the frigid tile floor, landing face down.

He was vaguely aware of a shout from the next room as his consciousness blissfully dimmed into a collage of black and the ghosts retreated to the depths of his mind.

"KIRITO" a cry cut through the darkened haze that clouded his mind; he made an attempt at parting his eyelids, before quickly shutting them again after being assaulted by the harsh neon strip above.

Gingerly, he opened them once more to be met by the image of Yuuki; scarlet eyes were awash with tears and her expression strained with worry. Something sparked within his chest at the sight of her face and the flow of her voice; it was quickly extinguished however by the lingering words that flowed like poison back into his conscious.

 _"A Spare... YOU DID THIS..."_

He jolted violently in the arms of his partner, Yuuki's eyes filling with fresh tears as he quivered. "Kiri-" she tried, her words laced with concern.

It sickened him.

He batted her arms away as she attempted to embrace him, snapping into a sitting position before rising on unsteady limbs that threatened to collapse; Yuuki stared up at him, eyes wide and arms still spread.

She rose in an equally awkward fashion slowly trying to catch his gaze which hung behind sweat slick bangs.

"Kirito I think you need to rest," she said voice wavering with uncertainty; "You hit your head pretty hard," Yuuki spared a glance at the offending sink before continuing. "W...What happened anyway, I heard you moaning, it sounded like you were in pain..."

Kirito looked down at himself, seeing his soiled shirt and registering the sheen that clung to his skin.

"Yuuki can you leave, I need to change" he said his voice monotone and flat as he seemingly ignored her line question. He shrugged off the hand she attempted to place on his shoulder.

The warrior took a step back at the utterly emotionless tone that had greeted her. She found herself hesitating before speaking to his back.

"Kirito are you sure your oka..."

"Yuuki!"

Kirito barked, whipping around to face her, eyes smouldering; Yuuki instinctively flinched under his gaze, she gave a half hearted nod and rushed from the bathroom.

Yuuki lowered herself onto the bed slowly, she gradually became aware the fact she was shuddering, wrapping her arms around her petite form.

"W.. what.. What was that?" she whispered aloud, her mind replaying the pure _rage_ that had shone from the pit of those charcoal eyes; a primal glare usually reserved for mobs or bosses.

Her mind returned to the previous night; falling asleep with her body close to his and her head upon his chest... her eyes grew wet as she came to a realization.

 _"Asuna."_

Yuuki held back a sob as the answer came to her, _"How.. how could I be so DUMB?"_ she brought her head down into her hands.

"He... he lost his wife, and here I am, crawling into bed with him _._ " she murmured in despair, her fingers digging sharply into lavender hair and the scalp it concealed. "F..Fuck, I need to apologize, I should know." her eyes welled with tears of anguish, "I should know better than anyone." her voice had dropped to little more than a fleeting whisper as she allowed the tears to fall silently into her lap.

Kirito finally emerged from the bathroom after half an hour, his hair still wet and slicked back from his shower; the familiar black contours of his combat outfit returned and his sword holstered on his back once more; Yuuki stood abruptly, facing the back of the swordsman.

"K..Kirito, I'm sorry... oh god, I'm so sorry."

The words tumbled out her mouth in a tangle of regret and apology, the eloquent lines she had run through her mind left where they had formed in favour of the bumbling mess of a statement.

Kirito gave no indication he had heard her, instead choosing to move towards the rooms only door, his footfalls heavy on the bare hardwood.

"Wait! Where are you going!" Yuuki jumped off the bed taking a few strides towards him, panic rising within her chest.

"I'm going back out to the frontlines, where I belong." his voice was cold and unyielding, causing Yuuki to flinch for the second time that morning, the panic in her breast swelling.

"Please wait!" she cried hastily opening her menu; "I can help you! Please, just give me a minute!" her hands frantically searched to find her gear among the sea of items.

"No."

The short reply stopped her finger and stuck the breath in her throat as he reached for the door.

"You've done quite enough." his tone remaining the same expressionless, pitiless pitch as he strode out the door slamming it shut with a mundane finality. Yuuki simply stared at the blank back of the door for a time before her face crumpled and her eyes screwed up as she wept, her pained cries ringing around the small room.

Kirito glanced at his surroundings, the last of the light blue particles vanishing as he stood; a message appeared "Welcome to Floor 55, Granzam" he dismissed the pop-up with a swipe of his gloved hand.

The Beater slowly stepped off the marble plinth that housed the teleport gate, his feet moving in a seemingly autonomous fashion as he traversed the swept pathways of the densely populated city. Kirito continued until he reached his destination, looking up he took in the once familiar spires of the Steel Tower that the Knights of the Blood Oath called home.

He braced himself as he walked though the perimeter gate, his eyes darting towards the uniform clad guards who dutifully nodded their heads as he passed; his pace quickened as he strode towards his destination, a seemingly unassuming Oak Tree in the corner of the grass plains that surrounded the tower.

His advance stalled and he stared down towards the base of the tree, a small plaque sitting among its roots; Text was carved onto the granite surface, the letters sweeping into one another to form the words that he himself had chosen: _Asuna Yuuki: Forever with us_. The words seemed so inadequate to him as he knelt before the headstone, his mind blank to everything except a raging sense of grief and despair. Onyx eyes began to water as he spoke.

"I-I'm s-so sorry A..Asuna." his tears flowing faster at the vocalization of the name, "I shouldn't have gotten as close to... her... as I did."

His mind drifted back to Yuuki as he whimpered; the memory of the girl further paining him. He stopped attempting to speak then and allowed himself to become engulfed in his sorrow, pained gasps exiting his ragged throat.

He stayed hunched for some time, his body being rocked by wave after wave of tears.

" _Your a fool_ " a voice once again penetrated his mind, he sat upright his eyes fixed on the tombstone in surprise, the voice was not the same as before, in place of the mocking, disgusted tone was one of a stern and authoritative nature, but concealed a soft, gentle edge. It continued, _"Have you forgotten the promise you made, we_ _ **both**_ _made?"_

 _Asuna slowly broke off the kiss as she opened her hazel eyes to meet Kirito's own, her smile still beaming as she glanced at the golden jewellery that adorned the couples ring fingers._

 _"I love you Kirito-kun" she whispered as she was drawn into his tight embrace, her head resting on his shoulder, he chuckled softly, stroking her chestnut tinted hair. "I love you too" he murmured back his head resting atop hers, they stayed like that for long a, blissful moment before Asuna suddenly broke off once again; her tone now a commanding one as she spoke once more, a passionate fire igniting in her eyes._

 _"I want you to promise me something" she locked eyes once again with her husband, hazel into black. "If something happens to one of us", she gripped his hand tightly as she continued, "I want you to promise to move on, to not sit and mourn for the rest of your life." Kirito pulled back slightly his eyes wide with confusion, "Asuna where is this coming fro-?"_

 _"Promise me" she said with conviction, her eyes never leaving his, he relaxed slightly a smile coming to his lips. "Only if you do" she simply nodded in return and drew their lips together once more_.

Kirito's eyes grew wide as he recalled the sun kissed evening he had shared with Asuna on the balcony of their house on the 22nd Floor all those months ago and the oath he had agreed to. A promise to continue living for the sake of the other.

A wavering smiled came to his lips as he brushed away his tears, he stood his eyes looking back at the soothing grey of the tombstone.

"Thank you Asuna" he stood and turned, his feet moving quickly as he remembered the cry of muffled despair that had rung from behind the closed door of his shared Inn room earlier in the day. The despair **he** had caused, he open the menu, finding Yuuki's name he sent her a message.

It was time to move on.

 _Authors Note: Thank you for reading the second part of 'Duet of Twin Blades' and apologies for the soul crushing angst._ _ **Please**_ _drop a review and give your opinions on this chapter, all feedback is appreciated!_

his tears, he stood his eyes looking back at the soothing grey of the tombstone.

"Thank you Asuna" he stood and turned, his feet moving quickly as he remembered the cry of muffled despair that had rung from behind the closed door of his shared Inn room earlier in the day. The despair **he** had caused, he open the menu, finding Yuuki's name he sent her a message.

It was time to move on.

 _Authors Note: Thank you for reading the second part of 'Duet of Twin Blades' and apologies for the soul crushing angst._ _ **Please**_ _drop a review and give your opinions on this chapter, all feedback is appreciated!_


	3. Chapter Three: Acts of Redemption

_Aincrad Floor 22: Forest 12:23 AM AST (Aincrad Standard Time)_

" _Are you sure you're ok-" "YUUKI!"_

Yuuki swung her blade with increasing vigour, finally burying the swords gleaming head further between the splintered ribs of a low level field mob; Kirito's scathing voice acting as propellant as she ripped the sword up through the unfortunate monsters chest, exiting with a tearing sound effect followed with a bright burst of blue.

 _"I'm going back to the frontlines, where I belong..."_

Yuuki snapped back to reality as the harsh sting of a dagger edge made itself known along her overcoat clad lower back, draining a pitifully low amount of HP; grunting, she flipped nimbly back over the cannon fodder, swinging lazily as she dispatched the enemy in a similar manner to his doomed comrade.

It had been like this for the best part of an hour, the endless monotony of field grinding never failed to numb the mind; exactly what Yuuki needed. The floor she had chosen for harvesting reflected that fact; Floor 22 was picturesque if dull, featuring cascading waterfalls and endless towering carnivorous forests that hummed and buzzed with the tweets and chirps of nesting birds. Even the Cardinal System seemed to turn a blind eye to this small haven, with the only threats being low level sentinels similar to those found on the First Floor. Easy pickings for even remotely levelled players.

 _"Or for those of us who just fucked up royally."_ Yuuki thought with malice that she could only direct back towards herself; her blade careened through yet another set of durability wasters as she wandered aimlessly, lavender boots punching deep ruts into the soft mud of the forest floor.

The trees began to thin the further Yuuki walked, as did the waves of sentinels willing to meet their end upon violet tinted steel much to her dismay; the motions of floor clearing had allowed her to forgo tackling the dark smog that had formed in her mind, with the distraction gone it slowly trickled to the forefront, memories manifesting as dark tendrils that clouded her vision.

 _"You've done quite enough..."_

"Godammit!" Yuuki screamed, her voice dampened by the thick foliage as she turned, slamming her gloved fist into one of the nearby trunks, the impact reverberating up her arm.

The warrior sank to her knees, tears fleeing from bloodshot scarlet eyes as her longsword's length clattered to the floor with a dull thud; she leant back against the assaulted stump and drew her knees up as she recalled with sickening clarity the brazen tone he had spoken with; the undisguised anger that had flashed raw in those Onyx Eyes.

Yuuki began to tremble again, her eyes stung as she did, but no tears came, too many had already escaped for others to join them. Too others she would have appeared to have been drastically overreacting; an uneventful shared night and a few heated words had turned one of Aincrad's most reputable swordswomen into a sobbing wreck.

But Yuuki knew him, she knew that blank and clouded look that had eclipsed his usually bright and humorous eyes and it terrified her; that depth of unbridled fury and pure rage was a primal, almost animalistic trait that the Black Swordsman rarely displayed and when it did show itself it was during the depths of battle.

An airy musical note rung out, jolting her from her stupor; the irritating jingle usually signified a received message. Yuuki raised her head from her paled knees and slowly dragged her finger through the evening air to open the message window. She groaned.

The 'Senders ID' was an incredibly useful feature. The blocking functionalities it gave players prevented most fraudsters from taking advantage of the messaging system and those who used it; still, it didn't prevent the Cardinal System itself from bombarding players with useless trivia, ads and completely random exerts.

Yuuki ignored the compulsion to delete the message immediately, some small, naive part of her still hoped the System would award players with some genuinely useful information on clearing the game one of these days. She tapped the mail icon.

 _"Greetings players! Floor 1 has just been named as -Floor of the Month!- can you claim the legendary -Mithril Pebble of Pig Smiting!- act fast, a new Floor is chosen each month!"_

Yuuki rolled her eyes and closed the window, Cardinal never failed to deliver absolute drivel, hell, it was worthy of an Abridged series once they were freed from this satanic excuse for a game.

 _Crack_

Yuuki whipped round at the disturbance, the quiet of the forest shattered in an instant; she held her quickly rising breath. Gradually more sounds permeated from the depths of the tree line; the quiet rustling of leaves and dry rotted wood grew more audible the longer she listened. As an enormous black silhouette revealed itself, Yuuki quickly moved to draw her sword, finding only empty air; the blade lying uselessly among the debris of the forest floor. In an instant Yuuki regretted ever stopping to open the message.

Kirito deleted his message for the fourth time, his outstretched hand slowly balling into a tight fist, anger towards himself stoking like hot coals; how could he even begin to apologize?

"Sorry for my... attitude?" he murmured to himself, "No... too impersonal." Kirito sighed, one finger erasing his most recent attempt from the message window. Kirito ran a hand through his mop of unruly raven hair; battling increasingly lethal bosses and enemies came naturally to the teen, writing apology letters was a different, and in his opinion, infinitely more daunting task.

The swordsman still didn't know what to make of his companion. Friend? That seemed like a rather lacklustre way to label their bond. Lovers? Kirito didn't know whether he was stable enough to make that daring plunge again.

Taking a deep breath he resolved to take a needed break from his message and he dropped the message board in favour of the friends list. Yuuki's name still stood out in the list, the _'Online'_ light still glowing it's familiar orange hue.

 _"Well, at least she hasn't gone and gotten herself killed."_

Kirito tapped once on her name and the window expanded and various notes on the lilac warrior were displayed.

 _Player: Yuuki. Location: Floor 22. Status: Engaged in combat._

Kirito's eyes widened at her unexpected status; the ' _engaged in combat'_ tag that was embossed upon her status window was generally reserved for those battling field bosses or the dreaded final floor bosses. It wasn't uncommon for frontline players to gain the title, but usually it was during group clearing sessions or boss raids, the tag was not something a single player usually obtained without outside assistance.

Kirito scanned through the rest of his friends list, stopping on familiar names:

 _Player: Klein. Location: Floor 13. Status: In residence._

 _Player: Schmitt. Location: Floor 33. Status: Dining at La Meat Toboggan._

Various other names came and went, their passive status' giving rise to a panic deep inside Kirito's chest, one that refused to be quelled. Yuuki was powerful, there was no denying that simple fact, she turn almost any other clearer into quivering piles of mince with one flick of her violet blade; but soloing a field boss? That dark thought unsettled him.

Then the Floor... why 22? Kirito remembered his few, blissful, weeks among the forests and walls of his log cabin with Asuna, they shone like gold among a sea of black. The only boss he could remember encountering during those days was the quest triggered -Witch- who was defeated by himself, Asuna and Argo. So what was Yuuki fighting?

Throwing caution to the wind Kirito sprinted towards the nearest teleport gate, a growing sense of dread enveloping him.

Kirito glanced at the in-game clock displayed at the top right of his peripheral vision, _12:46pm AST_ staring back.

The swordsman's legs bounded over the rough terrain before him; dodging the many tree roots that jutted from the forest floor beneath him. A humid breeze blowing the bangs of dark hair from his troubled face, the memory of Yuuki's pained cry still ringing like a gunshot in his mind. He winced and increased his pace, the map guiding him through the dense undergrowth.

He recognized the area as one he himself had traversed once; the forest an ideal area for relatively low risk levelling. It was during one of those short excursions he had come across the faithful log cabin that had served he and Asuna; he drew himself back to the present as the beeping of the map signalled his imminent arrival to his partner's location.

Yuuki was a mess, Kirito could see that much clearly, even from this distance; her form was coated by a seemingly endless myriad of crimson marks that accented her eyes in a sickly fashion. She had no weapon and her health bar shone worryingly low, the merger tree cover the only thing between her and immediate death.

Her assailant was the stuff of nightmares, an enormous humanoid figure with pale skin and abnormally long appendages, two of which wielded a rusted chain that lashed out with almost superhuman speed. Yuuki fought to keep ahead of the chains reach, but even her incredible AGI stat and Stamina could only serve her so well; with an inhuman screech the Level 83 -Wendigo- brought the weapons length to slam into Yuuki with a deafening bang that sent her lithe figure spinning across the field, her health bar dropping to near empty. Her once bright eyes glinted with defeat, fear screwing her eyelids shut.

"YUUKI" he screamed her name, voice high with rage seeing her broken posture and still looming figure. Gloved hands grasped at the wrapped hilt of a black longsword, launching towards the boss with a deafening battle cry; blade ignited with the scathing aqua flames of _-Vorpal Strike-_ and hatred sparking in his eyes.

Kirito attacked with reckless abandon, the bosses chain useless at such a close range; sword skill after sword skill cast ugly marks into the alabaster flesh of the beast, it's cries growing increasingly feral. He didn't hesitate. The field boss erupted in a matter of minutes, it's remnants fleeing with the gentle summer breeze.

The warrior didn't pause to relish his victory, instead sprinting to the sprawled figure of Yuuki and drawing her into a vice-like hug; burrowing his head into her shoulder.

"I-I thought I lost you too..." he pulled her closer, mind flashing back to Asuna's untimely death. She didn't respond, knocked out cold by the bosses final attack. He lifted her into his arms gingerly.

The walk back to the teleport gate was long, his exhaustion and Yuuki's unconscious weight preventing any speed above a brisk walk; not that he minded, Yuuki's soft lavender tresses and warm heat were far from unpleasant, even after facing down with a mythical bringer of death.

The teleport gate finally homed into view after trekking through yet another grove of saplings, and with a uttered command the peaceful expanses of Floor 22 were swept from view, one less threat left behind.

1:36 AM AST: Village of QROW.

Kirito kicked the door to the room open; his limbs singing with fatigue as he cradled the still limp Yuuki; her health had been restored courtesy of a hastily purchased health potion, her skin regaining some colour much to his relief.

"You really need to rest" he said to his partner, her blank expression offering no resistance.

He lowered her gently to the surface of the bed, her head sinking into the soft haven of quilted pillows.

He looked upon her for a moment before moving to join her on the opposite side of the bed. Kirito quickly unequipped his scabbard and Blackwrym Coat, exhaustion preventing him from attempting to remove anything else, practicality momentarily forgotten.

He moved beneath the bed covers, bringing Yuuki into his side once more, a sigh of contempt exiting her mouth as he nested her head into his collar bone. He smiled warmly at still fully clothed woman, her hair splayed out across the expanse of the bed.

"Goodnight Yuuki." Kirito smiled once more and chuckled slightly as she whined slightly; he took her features in for a final time before allowing himself to be swept to sleep in the warmth of the night.

 _Authors Note: Yet another Chapter down for the count! This one turned from being a simple re-master into an entirely new piece following drastically different plot points to the original version of this story, and I'm far happier with this as it currently stands. Also, big thanks for all the follows, favourites and particularly the reviews, they help_ _enormously_ _so please keep them coming._

 _Till next time!_


	4. Chapter Four: Sewing the Seeds

_Aincrad Floor 64: Village of QROW 10:12 AM AST (Aincrad Standard Time)_

 _'Relief'_ was such a simple and generic term, yet it was the only emotion Kirito could muster as he stared at the still sleeping form beside him. Yuuki was tucked against him, her head resting on his chest and her petite frame curled in the foetal position, close to his own exhausted body.

Yuuki was looking considerably better, the sickly tapestry of festering red lines the boss had dealt her way had all but faded with the coaxing of healing potions and times grace. Unfortunately, the warrior's equipment had not fared so well; the well maintained durability of her armour all but drained: the fabric itself looked as tired and downtrodden as their slumbering owner.

 _"Then again."_ Kirito thought wirily, " _I didn't exactly come out in top form."_

Kirito, while still faring far better than his female companion, had sustained his own share of scars that bore the proof of a frantic battle; various lines still marred his arms and torso from the bosses frenzied close-quartered attacks and his equipment had also taken an annoyingly noticeable beating.

"That's going to hurt my bank account to fix..." Kirito groaned.

While some damaged items were an _exceptionally_ good trade off for saving Yuuki's life; he could almost see the delighted gleam in Agil's eyes when he presented them to the barley concealed con-artist for a hefty repair.

He groaned again.

Kirito realized however that Yuuki's extensive set would be another matter entirely; he wasn't even sure items that damaged _could_ be fixed, even by someone as highly skilled as the gargantuan trader.

 _"We'll cross_ _ **that**_ _flaming bridge when we come to it."_ He forced the subject to the back of his troubled mind and returned his watchful gaze to his bedmate.

Yuuki's usually wide crimson eyes were closed, normally ordered lavender hair splayed across the surrounding bed in a hazardous collage of beautifully coloured strands. Her already pale skin had lightened further; but he was relieved to see some colour had returned to the soft curves of her face.

He poked an experimental finger into her cheek, the flesh slightly rosy from a combination of potions and the outside chill.

All Kirito got was a slightly muffled mumble of irritation from her for his efforts.

He chuckled quietly to himself at her instinctual juvenile actions and took in her sleeping face; from the gently curving cheek bones and button nose, to the ever present bangs that lay strewn across her forehead.

She was undeniably, criminally cute.

He reluctantly began to try to shift away from her; the urge to rise from bed and shower the remaining damage and stress away, gripping his focus. Moving slowly, he gently lifted her dainty head from his chest he placed it gently back down on the soft surface of her pillow and shifted, equally slowly, to the edge of the double bed and stood up; careful not to wake her as he did.

A warm smile came to his face as he glanced back down at Yuuki, her expression one of peace and serenity, something warm and welcome glowed to life in his chest as he turned towards the inns small bathroom; that smile never faltering.

The Black Swordsman emerged from the showers warm embrace under protest; the warm water and soap had provided an instantaneous bliss on contact with his bedraggled flesh.

The Cardinal System of Sword Art Online, while impressive, still struggled to replicate some of the more intricate senses of day to day activities. Showering was unfortunately one of them. The familiar heat one would experience in a real shower was still present; but the feeling of the falling water actually making contact with an avatar's skin was dulled to an extent, somewhat lessening the experience to a user.

Still, in a world full of so much torment and so little luxuries Players found themselves thankful of any relief the game could provide; as such, complaints on such minor details were minimal.

Lazily re-equipping his base clothing of a black shirt and matching trousers, Kirito walked through the steamed room and exited back into the main bedroom; Yuuki's form still visible underneath the bedclothes on the other side of the small space. Kirito moved towards her with a smile.

Sitting gingerly back down on the vast bed he gently raised a hand to caress the side of her face in a soothing motion; the soft and supple feeling of her skin warming his own as he continued.

Stirring slightly under his touch, Yuuki's eyelids gradually fluttered open; revealing scarlet eyes that swivelled sluggishly for a moment without focusing. After a short while the clouded orbs landed on the ebony clad figure.

"K...Kirito?" Yuuki asked, her speech impaired slightly by a small yawn. She brought a hand to her face to unceremoniously expel the sleep from her eyes with a few vigorous rubs. Kirito smiled softly, moving his hand to rest in her downy hair.

"Yeah, I'm here Yuuki." he spoke quietly, stopping for a moment as she instinctively nuzzled closer to the warmth of his palm.

"You gave me quite the scare..." Kirito trailed off as she squirmed slightly, eyes falling to her lap.

"L..look Kirito, I'm so... so sor-" she choked as the words stuck in her throat. "I shouldn't have y'know... especially after what happened with... Asuna." tears glistened on her cheeks in worryingly large quantities.

Kirito retracted his hand from her entirely, before gently swiping away the falling tears with a curled finger; Yuuki's breath hitched abruptly.

"Stop that Yuuki, we both know full well that I should be the one apologizing, _not you_." the swordsman spoke evenly; and after a moments deliberation wrapped his arms around the girl, dragging her into a comforting embrace.

Yuuki squeaked at the sudden contact, her mind falling flat as every possible terrible scenario she had imagined were swiftly, and mercifully crushed.

"I... I used to think that after Asuna died I _had_ to be distant and alone to preserve her memory; to hold onto what we were." Kirito paused as his own dark eyes watered with the salt of long barred tears, and he mustered the strength to continue; "But I realise now that being _alone_ being _angry_ with everything and everyone just goes against everything she strove for... and everything I truly want."

Kirito pulled back slightly from the stunned girl; pulling her gaze to his. "Yuuki... I can only ask for your forgiveness and..." he paused momentarily, "To allow whatever _is_ between us two to grow."

The girl in question was frozen solid, her mouth agape in something which amounted to stunned amazement.

Whatever she had been expecting, this wasn't it.

Not that she minded.

This was _far_ better than the outcome she expected.

Gradually, she felt herself recover from the initial shock; a smile formed from the mist of the previously slacked jaw, bright and jubilant as the morning sun.

Yuuki simply pulled the raven haired boy closer; his thin frame fitting against hers with a comfortable ease that both welcomed with earnest.

"Your terrible Ki' making be worry like that." she chuckled softly into his feathered hair, lips curling into an even larger smile against his scalp. "But I forgive you."

Yuuki was the one to pull back this time, both parties simply staring at the other. It was a good while before they moved together again; and when they did they did so together.

Lips brushed, first hesitant but growing confident with each passing moment; heat radiating from one set to another, melting together in a show of pent emotions that were finally nurtured; something blossomed anew.

Neither wanted to be the first to break the passionate exchange, the feeling of the other too intoxicating to loosen from without considerable effort.

It took a good while to for the two warriors to separate, words failed both of them as eyes stirred once again with emotion that stumped the both of them.

Kirito finally broke the pleasant silence, "Sooooo..."

Yuuki grinned, "Breakfast?"

The two burst out in fierce laughter, the room's atmosphere turning a few degrees more pleasant; the sunlight streaming through the thick curtains seemed to intensify as more sounds of amusement leaked from the couple.

Kirito recovered slowly from his fit, ruffling Yuuki's messy bed hair as he did. His chuckles returned briefly as she growled at his movements; relieved to see the morning's events had done little to dull her attitude to his teasing.

"Alright, alright, I'll head out and grab some breakfast for the both of us." he said his grin growing as she pouted, attempting to fix her dishevelled hair to no avail. Eventually, after a few more moments of fruitless battle with her lilac locks she replied.

"Mph! Okay... just don't take too long." her finger jabbing through the air to indicate the in-game clock; a look of fake severity playing across her features.

Kirito laughed, "You've got it _ma'm._ "

The two shared a genuine, shy look of a deeper meaning before Kirito swept from the room. His mind free of chains and shadows.

 _Authors Note: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but expect the next far sooner, work has been a tad overloading at the moment._

 ** _Please leave a review, they motivate me and help shape this story for the better._**

 _Till next time!_


	5. Chapter Five: One Handed Heartbreak

_Aincrad Floor 64: Village of QROW 1:30 PM AST (Aincrad Standard Time)_

Yuuki fluttered awake at the squeak of a familiar door opening. Glancing belatedly through her eyelashes the unmistakable form of her black cloaked partner, laden with various bags and containers came into hazy focus.

She almost burst out laughing at the sight; Kirito was loaded like a pack horse, his precious cargo wobbling precariously atop his arms like a poorly built Jenga tower just before it's inevitable, catastrophic, collapse.

Yuuki couldn't help but giggle despite herself as the swordsman attempted to turn and close the door; his wide onyx eyes screwed tightly in concentration as he tried to not let anything drop. As much as she was enjoying this little pantomime the persistent and ever louder growls of her stomach compelled her to move from the warm confines of the bed.

After allowing for a few more seconds to compose herself the lilac warrior hastily scrambled to aid her counterpart with the ridiculously large amount of items he carried. It seemed every type of cuisine imaginable was resting in the arms of the awkward teen. She turned to meet his sheepish face with a bemused look.

"I recall asking for breakfast... but may I ask why you've bought most of the food market?" Kirito scratched the back of his unruly hair in embarrassment; "Well.. I couldn't quite remember what you liked so..."

He trailed off as Yuuki finished for him; "So you decided the most rational thing was to buy one of everything." She laughed once more at his defeated expression.

"Stop with that face already! That was really sweet of you, thank you." she smiled and after a moments hesitation, pulled him into a tight embrace and gently pushed her lips against his. Kirito responded in kind, deepening the kiss and holding her tighter... before quickly pulling away and retracting his arms.

Yuuki's eyes snapped open as he jolted away from her. The swordswoman's expression immediately jumping from bliss to heightened concern as she saw the odd expression that had consumed his face.

"Wh-what's wrong, did I do something wrong?" Hurt mixed with an unhealthy does of panic washed over her pale features. Had she pushed him to far again? Was he going to run again? Would he be gone for goo...

"No, you didn't do anything wrong! Nothing at all!" Kirito shook his head violently his voice rising sharply in pitch, "I-I-It's just that I noticed your current attire. We should probably get that seen too..."

Yuuki gave herself a quick once over, finding nothing more serious than beaten equipment and torn clothes. _"He interrupted_... _that... to tell me my gears a bit scruffy."_ With menacing precision she raised her head to face his.

"K-I-R-I-T-O."

The boy in question gulped, the severity of his error now painfully apparent.

"Y-yes, Y-yuuki?" he answered her meekly, recoiling as her eyes flashed with malice that would make any of Aincrad's one hundred bosses cower in terror.

"Ugh Men!" her face twisted into a look of exasperation, the raven haired boy before her shrinking further away. "Sure, just interrupt a nice little romantic moment to remind me that my equipment is a little damaged after being wrecked by a field boss." Yuuki buried her face into her hands in dismay. She was too young for this shit.

Before the disgraced swordsman could even offer up an apology she rounded on him again, eyes narrowed to slits and a devious smile dancing across her lips.

"Come to think of it, how did you even notice, hmm? Sorry to say but it sounds like someone was checking me out." she cracked her knuckles for affect as Kirito's face erupted into a furious blush at the thought.

"W-what?! Oh come on! I had to carry you all the way back here! That's the only reason I noticed, I swear!" his voice was almost frantic, survival coming before any sort of tone control.

"Oh, so your only into peeking on girls when they're unconscious?"

"No!"

Yuuki was about to let him off the deadly hook she'd trapped him on before a positively evil idea stopped her. Fighting off the blush that threatened to colour her cheeks she faced him again, pulling him close once more to whisper in a husky tone directly in his quivering ear; "Eyes above the neck... for now anyways." she felt a light tremor run through his body at her words and smirked in satisfaction. She pulled away and spoke once again, her voice completely absent of the alluring tone from before.

"So, are you going to get the food out or what, I'm starving!" she flashed a shit eating grin once again at the still frozen Kirito and he hastily replied, "S-sure." and began placing the various items on the bed. It was going to be a long morning.

 _/Scene Change/_

"SWITCH!"

Kirito quickly heeded Yuuki's call and moved to the side of her incoming attack; landing on the floor of the boss room his muscles locked into position as the 3 second Sword Skill cool down timer began.

The newest Floor Boss, the multi-headed serpent, King Taijitu.

After the... _eventful,_ morning the two had shared it had only seemed appropriate that the rest of the day would be spent relaxing, enjoying one another's company and recuperating. But as always Yuuki had thought differently. With her equipment's HP mostly depleted and the terrifying reality of Agil's repair prices promising to deplete her bank balance; Yuuki had made the executive decision to join the conveniently scheduled boss meeting that evening. The idea being to claim the LA Bonus, hopefully a decent longsword capable of replacing her current, heavily damaged weapon, affectionately dubbed _'Harbinger.'_

Kirito craned his neck to watch Yuuki's S.S make contact with one of the three grotesque heads of the King Taijitu.

The piercing purple ray began by slashing a long vertical crimson line down its front before Yuuki launched back into the air, her blade issuing a series of lightning fast scores over the bosses domed head; pulling her blade back she sprang forward once again a piercing cry emanating from her throat as she thrust the blazing Longsword deep into it's middle head.

The last of the three bars of the Taijitu's health emptied with a thunderous bang and with a final hiss the snakes heads reared back as it burst into a cloud of particles that illuminated the sparsely lit dungeon.

Yuuki dropped back to the ground, her sword's bright purple hue fading back to it's normal dull lavender as the cool down timer finished. Kirito watched as she slashed the spent weapon left and right, a habit she had inherited from him he realized, and stashed it at her hip. A thunderous cheer erupted from the 40 players in the boss room as the game displayed the traditional "Congratulations!" pop-up before dispersing into individual windows displaying to each player the XP and Col gained from the Boss Fight.

Yuuki quickly dismissed her own window without a single wave and ran at Kirito, tackling him to the ground in a tight embrace as she laughed, he returned the embrace; his own face split into a jubilant grin.

"That was something!" he said his words directed at Yuuki's jubilant face hovering above his, she giggled again at his praise and shyly brushed their lips together before raising herself on her arms to look at him.

"I only got that hit in because of you, Ki'" she dropped back down onto his chest, her breathing heavy from the strain from the boss fight. Kirito raised a hand and placed it on the back of her head smiling.

"Any rare drops Yu' or just the usual?" she groaned and rolled off him; she raised into a sitting position before tracing her fingers through the air in the familiar pattern to access her menu, her eyes focusing on her Inventory.

"Not much, a few maces from the sentinels, a couple of scale plates, the usual Col and..." she trailed off as her eyes widened at the bottom of her Inventory, "And a last hit bonus" Kirito immediately sat up at her words, "Anything good?"

Yuuki shrugged before tapping the Inventory slot issuing a yelp as a heavy weight dropped into her lap. The weapon was long and sleek; it's blade a dark violet, the regal colour extending down to the slender, leather grip and pummel at the base of the weapon. Yuuki's ran a testing finger down it's length before grasping the hilt (16.5 Ammiright?) and lifting it.

The newly acquired sword was not so different to her current weapon of choice; however it seemed to have a defined balance and exude a sense of power that was absent from her previous sidearm. Excited, Yuuki tried to stand, before falling back to the floor with a small whimper.

Kirito didn't miss the incident, nor did he miss how she clutched at her knee tight enough to turn her knuckles white. Before he even opened his mouth Yuuki shot him a weak smile.

"Suppose I'm tired from that battle after all." she chuckled hollowly; but put her palm to the floor to attempt to rise again, cutting off any conversation.

Succeeding in standing up this time, albeit with a pained hiss that only deepened Kirito's concern, she gave the blade a tentative swing; followed by a series of progressively more aggressive swipes. Yuuki smiled widely at the weapon, continuing with a number of combo's all of which were executed flawlessly. In awe she opened a smaller tab to the usual inventory which brought up the Weapons info, the blades unique name was inscribed across the top of the window. _'Obsidian Heartbreak.'_

 _/Scene Change/_

"Urrrgh" Yuuki gritted her teeth together as she sat down on the corner of her and Kirito's bed. The pain across her back and hips flared, despite her constant reassurance to Kirito the boss fight _had_ taken its toll on the crimson eyed warrior. Not that she'd told him _why._

Despite the removal of the many protective layers of her combat outfit , leaving her only in her undergarments, the weight that seemed to put unbearable strain on her joints and ligaments hadn't ceased to create further pain.

She let out a low whining sound akin to a kicked puppy as she gingerly lowered herself onto her aching back and shifted further onto the bed; moving to her side, her eyes scrunched tight at the continued pain. The girl felt Kirito's hand gently begin to comb through her lavender tresses in an attempt to soothe her.

"Yuuki, I know you're trying not to show it but it's painfully clear you're hurting. What's wrong?" Kirito murmured to her, his hand continuing to gently caress her hair as he moved to cradle her in a careful embrace her. She nodded daintily against his warm palm; pain and fatigue having worn away any ability to create any sort of convincing lie.

Yuuki tried to shift her legs on the bed. And regretted it not a second later.

A piercing cry tore from her throat as another wave of agony assaulted her from her joints as she attempted to shift her limb. With tears streaming down her face she burrowed her face deeper into Kirito's chest as she convulsed he tightened his arms around her worryingly as she whimpered. He gently removed his hand from her hair and brushed a stray tear from Yuuki's sodden cheek; holding her until the convulsions began to subside somewhat. "Thank you" she mumbled, rubbing her face against the soft material of his shirt.

"It's horrible to see you hurting so much Yu'." he whispered, tears of his own appearing. "I won't push you, but _please_ , when you're ready, tell me _why_ you have to go through this."

Slowly, the two met one another in a warm kiss that sealed a promise to the other, nothing more was needed in, Kirito had his answer.

Holding her close he collapsed onto his back and the bed pulling her with him, once again stroking her bangs.

The two closed their eyes as one, lost in the warmth of the night and one another.

 _Author's Note: The wait is over! Chapter Five has dropped and I should be getting back to weekly updates. The last month has been beyond hectic and I must offer my thanks for all of you who continue to read this fic, it makes the effort worthwhile._

 _That being said,_ _ **please leave a review**_ _they are so valuable to me as a creator and help me improve this little project._

 _Till next time!_


	6. Update

Update

Nitrovast here with a little update regarding this story and it's future. First off, I have to apologize for leaving this story abandoned for nearly two months, no matter how you spin it that is completely unacceptable, especially with how short my chapters usually are.

I promise you that this story will run it's full course no matter how long it takes; I will not allow this to become a repeat of ' The Prince of Swords' which was an absolutely outstanding fic, and was far better than anything I could ever dream of writing, that suddenly vanished without warning leaving the story incomplete and fans in mourning.

As to why this story has slowed down? A number of reasons, that I will list:

1) I'm having trouble adapting the old version of this story as the next chapter was a hefty 3,600 words of mostly lemon and I'd like to delay that for the sake of pacing and have no idea what to replace it with.

2) Despite the fact these chapters are usually only 2,000-2,500 words they still take a long time to produce due to my obsession about the most obscure of details and I'm awful at managing times to write.

3) I'm overly attached to this story. Every time I attempt to write the next chapter I'm paranoid of how it will be received as I want to do this story and characters justice.

Excuses out the way, this story WILL return and soon, I just need to banish some writers block and unfounded insecurities first.

Cheers for the patience.

-Nitrovast


	7. Chapter Six: A Turning Point

_Aincrad, Floor 71: Labyrinth 6:30 AST (Aincrad Standard Time)_

 _"Goddammit!_ _Faster!_ _"_ The violet embossed blade attempted weakly to follow it's wielders bellowed request; issuing a chorus of ever frantic and increasingly unstable strikes to the towering level forty Frost Bone mob.

The creature's skeletal frame was tall and robust; far reaching limbs exuding an aura of dangerous power despite the lack of any notable flesh or muscle. The mob seemed to hardly bat a non-existent eyelid at the flailing and lumbering strikes of its opponent; each consecutive blow countered with a sharp swing of its imposing hatchet.

With a low, menacing growl the now aggravated monster reared one arm back, preparing to land a blow on its now vulnerable assailant.

The sharpened axe head glinted in the low dungeon light as it rose, falling with tremendous speed back towards it's stationary target...

Before being met with another blade. This opponent was cloaked in the veil of darkness, it's blade seeming to become a blur of frenzied movement with a battle cry rising to match the mobs own. The swordsman's weapon deflected the mobs own and, in a surgically precise arc, the blade now issuing a bright lilac hue as if set alight, cleaved deep into the Frost Bones exposed chest for the final time.

The mobs primitive AI barley had the time to register its own demise before deteriorating into the familiar turquoise particles which framed the two figures before them briefly before dissipating as rapidly as they had appeared.

"Yuuki?"

Kirito turned away from the now vanishing Frost Bone to look upon his fallen partner with a look of concern. Yuuki was sprawled on the ground with her head hung in what might have been shame, her breath laboured and wheezing. She didn't move to meet his gaze.

"Yuuki?" he questioned once again, moving to place wary hand on her slouched shoulders.

"I'm _fine_ " she muttered bitterly, brushing off his hand and using her sword as a stabilizer as to help her stand. He didn't miss the drawn out pained hiss that escaped her clenched teeth as she righted herself.

It took more than a moments warring with himself and staring at her back that was now turned towards him before speaking up.

"No, you're not." he was thankful his voice came out as even and calm as it did, with the tornado of emotions currently stirring inside him. "It's your joints again isn't it?" She twitched slightly which he took as confirmation, "You can't just keep pushing it like this y'know you might end up..."

"Stop."

Yuuki was facing him once more with a tired expression, her avatar's weight supported only by the longsword which kept her upright. "I know you are just trying to help but _please_ just..." she ran a hand through her tied back hair in irritation, "...lay off for a little bit ok?" her voice was small as she finished.

Kirito was conscious of his throat constricting and felt his resolve weaken completely. The sight of her in such a dismal state was unbearable no matter the situation.

"I'm sorry Yuuki." he moved to her and gently embraced her, his extra height allowing him to tuck her head under his chin. He felt her lean into him slightly and gladly accepted her exhausted petite frame with as soft a grip as he could manage.

"Are you sure it's nothing to do with the sword?" he murmured to her after a moment of welcome silence.

Yuuki glanced down at the weapon she wielded, it's polished surface staring back at her.

Absolute Sword was the name the Cardinal System had issued Yuuki's side arm upon her obtaining it after achieving an LA Bonus and it seemed a perfect fit for the elegant yet incredibly deadly weapon. The blade had been Yuuki's primary weapon during the clearing of Floor 71; making short work of the many field mobs present in the heavily forested level, often requiring no more than a few well placed strikes in the hand of Yuuki to wipe out even the highest level of them.

 _"Definitely not the sword."_ Yuuki mused, the thought bouncing around her fried mind, _"It's the wielder that has the problems."_

Yuuki shook herself out her own thoughts and replied to Kirito in a low voice; "No, definitely user error."

"I'm barley able to keep up now when you're on your game, I wouldn't say you are holding it back any." Kirito countered, " Quite the contrary; If anything I'm worried I'll be left in your dust."

That was finally able to bring rise to a small giggle from the lithe body huddled against his own.

"Well, It _is_ way more accurate than my previous sword and hits like a truck!" Yuuki's voice pitched up a tad with blatant enthusiasm.

"Hell, if I didn't know any better I'd say it even surpasses your _dear_ Elucidator." Yuuki mocked, reaching around him to point at the ornate black and silver leather scabbard hanging from her partners back.

"I mean, It's _practically useless_ now... I'm sure Agil would take it off your hands as _scrap._ " she moved towards him, putting her arm out as if to reach for the sheathed weapon.

Kirito let out a chuckle, eyes rolling in disbelief.

" _Yeah right,_ when have I ever let _anyone,_ besides myself, touch this thing or come anywhere near it?"

As much as he hated to admit it, Kirito could recognize that he had become hopelessly attached to the gracefully deadly curves that comprised his cherished sword. Even after twenty floors he still held onto, and wielded, the mass of gleaming obsidian that was dubbed Elucidator; that was a ludicrous amount of time to sport one weapon, even in SAO.

And that was a feat in of itself, as in a death game where allies besides yourself were hard to come by players tended to become attached to their only lifelines.

 _"Still."_ Kirito thought idly, _"No-one has ever accused me of being 'normal.'"_

"Ah whatcha saying Ki?" Yuuki whispered her voice airy and teasing.

"Scared of me touching your sword? You know it's impolite to keep a lady waiting for too long..."

System Shutdown.

If any amount of nerdy, slightly scrawny, male teens could conjure an eloquent and smooth reply to a question of that nature from a person of the opposite sex Kirito certainly wasn't one of them.

"Wait... WHAT?!" Kirito leapt back from Yuuki in a panicked fashion, not dissimilar to prey running from a particularly terrifying but oddly alluring predator.

Yuuki began to shake violently with uncontrollable laughter which echoed around the enclosed Labyrinth, staining the dark cavern walls with light. As she wiped tears from her closed eyes, she gradually composed herself and moved to capture him to continue the earlier embrace.

"Ahhah, god you're too much fun Ki." she said once wrapped back in his now slightly tense arms.

"Look, how about I make it up to you, we've been here all day clearing why don't we grab some grub back in Qrow?"

Some semblance of life finally returned to Kirito and he gently planted a kiss on Yuuki's lavender tresses. "I'd love too, but don't you go pulling what you did the last time we went out for a meal, I'm paying." he moved his gloved finger to cover Yuuki's lips as she began to protest.

"You do enough for me Yuuki, at least let me treat you with dinner." Kirito felt Yuuki let out a defeated sigh as she stepped away from the warm embrace.

"Fine, just don't overspend ok?" Kirito simply chuckled and pulled Yuuki's hand into his own, "I promise, now shall we get going?"

Yuuki's grin returned as the two began the long walk to Labyrinth's opening.

"Yeah... And Kirito? I was serious about the whole 'overspending' jazz... I'm not going to date any sugar daddy."

For the second time that day Kirito wished he could he could simply vanish as Yuuki's laughter broke the silence of the corridors once more with tenth-fold the intensity.

 _/Scene Change/_

why do you even bother

"Full yet?" Kirito said in amusement to his partner sitting opposite him; she nodded swallowing the last bite of her desert, her face quickly being dusted by a light blush as she did so.

"Sorry, I guess I did kinda go overboard" she apologized, her eyes scanning the many empty dishes adorning the table between the two. Kirito only let out a warm chuckle.

"I'd be worried if you didn't eat much, you've been really going at it on the field lately, and with your current... complications, I imagine it's been all the more tiring for you."

Yuuki smiled slightly as she pushed her dish to the centre of the table and leaned back into her plush chair.

Kirito was temporarily enthralled, the small jar held candle which sat among the many empty dishes cast a soft light upon Yuuki's graceful features. Her recently adorned smile, stunning crimson eyes and silky lavender hair seemed to become even more prominent under the flames meagre glow. Even if she was still in her slightly dirty clearing gear, Yuuki was immeasurably beautiful to him.

"Hey... Kirito." Yuuki's small voice snapped him out of his trance, her tone sounding conflicted.

"I'm... I'm sorry about earlier, about... snapping, I know you do your best I'm just..."

Kirito quickly moved his hand to caress her pale cheek gently. "Yuuki, it's fine. I know you have problems you're not quite ready to share with me yet. But just know, I'll always be here for you, you can count on that." His palm slipped off Yuuki's cheek as she lowered her gaze to stare at the dark hardwood of the table in front of her.

"W...why do you bother?"

Kirito felt as if a cold iron glove had squeezed his heart. Yuuki's voice had grown weak and incredibly muted and copious lilac bangs hurrying to cover her face from Kirito's concerned view.

"Y-Yuuki, what do you mean?" Kirito said his own voice becoming low and hoarse.

"What did I say?" his voice became more frantic and cracked in desperation as she didn't respond.

"Yuuki please, what did I say?" he put his displaced hand over hers. Yuuki took in a shaky, rattling breath and finally spoke again.

"Why do you even bother with me." her voice had grown weaker still, "You're Kirito, The Black Swordsman, you could have anyone you wanted, anyone!" She paused as a wet choke escaped her throat. And yet you chose me, some nobody girl that pestered you on the frontlines and one who is a colossal bitch about a problem you have no control or knowledge of!" Yuuki took another shallow breath, her cheeks slowly being overcome by tears.

"And besides what can I offer you that other girls in this game can't, most are easier to live with, better at this romance stuff and have better assets." her voice trailed off, breaking into wracking sobs that rocked her slender frame her face still hidden by the lilac bangs.

Kirito's face hardened as Yuuki wept and he stood abruptly walking over to Yuuki's side of the candle-lit table, and pulled her upright into his arm; Her hair finally slipping away to reveal her tear streaked face clearly accented by shock at Kirito's sudden actions.

He tightened the embrace between them and whispered in her ear while gently stroking her head.

"I don't want to hear you say that ever again Yuuki Konno." his tone was comforting but was sure in its direction, something uncommon to the awkward swordsman.

"I love you, and you only." he put a finger under her chin and tilted her head to look at him, "Because you we're the only one who stuck with me and cared about me during the darkest point of my life. And you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, you are far stronger than I could ever hope to be."

Yuuki's eyes widened as Kirito pulled her into kiss the depths of which took her breath away, his arms wrapping around her small waist. Once she recovered from her shellshock every fibre of her being moved to return the kiss and wrap her own arms around his neck pulling the two closer still and stirring the flames of something deeper than mere words could portray in both of them.

It took a long while before they slowly separated, Kirito's arms still around her waist and Yuuki's still around his neck, they looked deep into one another's eyes, scarlet into black, before Yuuki moved to wipe any of the remaining tears from her face.

"I... I love you too.. she said her voice awash with emotion; tightening her grip on him.

"You have a right to know what happened to me before this game more than anyone, I _want_ to tell you." Yuuki's face set with determination.

"Because if there is any hope of me getting over it, _I need_ to get it out." Yuuki looked up at him with an unwavering gaze.

"And there is no-one I trust more."

The boy in question could only hold her tighter as he struggled not to lose control of his own emotions.

"Kirito, can we go back to the room? If your done eating that is." Kirito could only mutely nod and allow Yuuki out of the embrace as they moved for the door of the establishment.

Yuuki squeezed his hand as they walked out into the night's cool air and turned to him once more.

"I hope you're ok with staying up a bit late tonight..." she paused

"...I've got a story to tell."

 _Author's Note: What is this? An actual Chapter?! Yes DoTB is back from it's painfully long two month-and-a-bit long hiatus, and the writer's block has been taken round to the back of the compound and shot full Soviet Style._

 _Anyways... thanks for sticking with me, NEXT CHAPTER WILL COME FAR SOONER, it's going to be on Yuuki's origin as well... prepare your tissues._

 _As always_ _ **please**_ _leave a review they help motivate and improve the story._

 _Till' next time!_


	8. Bonus Chapter: An Angel's Fall

Chapter Six ½: An Angel's Fall

(This is a bonus prequel chapter detailing the death of Asuna Yuuki in the months leading up to the beginning of Duet of Twin Blades. Enjoy.)

"I'll leave the guild! You'll never see me again! I promise! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

Guttural pleads gave way to incoherent snivelling as a grown man, easily in his thirties, cowered under the gleaming point of a sharpened rapier; it's wielder a girl who had not yet seen the turn of her 18th year.

Kirito took in his saviours form with overflowing gratitude and admiration from where he lay, immobilised, from the poison that still coursed through his virtual veins.

The girl was impressive; even though she stood at not a hair over five and a half foot, her graceful figure exuded power and authority in a way that made her seem far taller. Yes, this was the girl who sent shivers through the hearts of thieves and scoundrels and set the hearts of others ablaze.

This was the girl who lead armies, felled enemies with not an ounce of exertion.

This was the Lightning Flash.

"Mph."

Asuna's dark scowl deepened as she seemed to let out a noise of deliberation; the shining tip of the rapier still inches from her target's greasy haired skull.

Kirito reluctantly returned his attention to the quivering mass of revolting flesh on the canyon floor. This was the man who had almost killed him.

A poisoned bottle of water was all it had taken, and after dispatching Godfree, their unfortunate comrade, he had turned his attention to the famed Black Swordsman Of Aincrad.

Without Asuna, he would have succeeded in killing him as well.

The man in question seemed to crumple further to the floor as Asuna continued to hover over him, the pathetic sounds of fear escaping his mouth rising in volume with each passing second.

Asuna seemed to come to a conclusion, her thin blade moving a few inches further from her captive as she started to withdraw.

Kuradeel didn't hesitate.

In an instant, the pathetic, quivering façade vanished as he leapt up, the vast longsword he carried catching and flicking the smaller sword from Asuna's grasp.

"HAH, the oldest trick in the book! And you fell for it bitch!"

Still trying to break free from his paralysis, Kirito watched in horror as the heavy blade fell towards Asuna.

And made contact.

The longsword's razor edge offered little mercy as it tore through the exposed flesh of Asuna's right shoulder, passing through and continuing on to the centre of her chest.

Kirito finally felt the paralysis break, at the same time he felt all semblance of sanity desert him.

The next few moments passed in a blur, finding Elucidator, he was vaguely aware of carving the man before him into pieces; every rage filled swing taking chunks of body with them.

He didn't stop until the sound of breaking glass filled the air.

Suddenly the world came back to him.

"ASUNA."

Rushing to the girl's side he lifted her upper half onto his lap, the gaping wound present there leering at him in a sickly crimson.

Her eyes opened briefly, beautiful long lashes parting so her hazel eyes met his black orbs.

"I'm… I'm sorry."

The sound of breaking glass filled his ears once more.

Far away, beyond the iron walls of the castle Aincrad, in another world a hospital heart monitor droned into a flatline.

Kirito screamed.

Author's Note: Well… that happened. This story has been 98% angst the last couple chapters, and the storm has only begun to brew…

I felt this mini chapter was needed to fill in the blanks, Asuna's death is such a pivotal plot point in this story after all.

I'm aware that Asuna dying during this scene seems to open up a plot hole concerning the whole Floor 22 Flashback, but don't worry it's been thought of and will be explained and dealt with. Don't worry, Chapter Seven is coming soon, this was just a little project for me to have fun with… at two in the morning… kill me.

Please leave a review, the keep me motivated and help me improve this story.

Till' Next Time!

-Nitrovast


	9. Chapter Seven: A Story to Tell

_Aincrad, Floor 64: Village of QROW 8pm PM AST (Aincrad Standard Time)_

The two warriors walked out of the cool atmosphere of the restaurant into the humid evening, the sun beginning to set over the rustic town square that greeted them. Walking hand in hand the two began the short trek back to the now familiar inn, their room recently placed under long term rent.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Yuuki, the last remnants of tears drying on her face under the final rays of orange light, squeezed Kirito's hand as they walked and tilted her head to face him, as both parties came to a gradual stop.

"Hey... look," she began slowly "I-I think I'm ready to talk about my past, or at least the bits you want to hear," Yuuki's eyes bore into his almost pleadingly as she continued, "But... please... please just hear me out."

Looking down at the cobble path, her face washed with a mixture of emotion and contemplation so conflicted Kirito once again found him questioning just how blackly veiled the girl's past actually was. With deliberate movements, Kirito placed a reassuring palm on Yuuki's shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze.

"If you think you're ready to open up about your life, I'm more than happy to listen, but please don't rush yourself or think you _have_ to tell me everything." He offered, shooting the swordswoman a warm smile of reassurance.

Yuuki smiled sheepishly back, placing her own hand upon the one still resting on her shoulder.

"Well if you're sure, as far as tales go it's not exactly the happiest of the bunch, but you of all people deserve to know about me, especially after all this time." Yuuki squeezed the hand within her own once more and gently shrugged it off; turning away from him and in the direction of the Inn once more.

"You know," Kirito started, his voice airy, "I wasn't exactly the best friend you could've had either after... well... Asuna passed." his voice tapered off as he glanced at Yuuki's back, ebony eyes frosted with something akin to a deeply rooted regret.

Yuuki glanced back to him, her lips already forming the rebuttal he knew would come.

"You know I never blamed you for that, you had just lost your wife, Kirito, anyone would have been angry, confused, hell maybe a bit of an arsehole at times; you can't go on beating yourself u-"

"Why did you forgive me after all that?"

Yuuki turned back to face him fully, the crimson of her eyes widened in puzzlement. "You we're my friend Kirito, my best friend; we always had each other's backs on the frontlines. I wasn't about to let you suffer alone... not after everything we went through.

Kirito nodded, a shaky smile gracing his lips as he stared back. "All those reasons you just gave? The reasons you put up with me for those long months? They're exactly the same reasons why you shouldn't every worry about being alone again, about me leaving you."

He took a step to close the gap between them, encircling the petite warrior in an embrace.

"We've come this far Yuuki, anything else in our way is child's play, as long as we've got each other, okay?"

Kirito felt the lilac haired girl slip into the embrace with ease; and for a time the two relished in its warmth before parting and continuing the walk hand in hand with not a word needed.

 _/Scene Change/_

Yuuki took a slow, calculated breath and opened her eyes, the soft glow of the flickering lamp light above them bringing some much needed calm to her mind. She briefly pondered on the familiar surroundings of her and Kirito's Room and, after taking a moment to collect herself, turned to the boy himself.

"Well, where to start?" she questioned, suddenly aware of how Kirito was sitting just far enough away to give her space, and close enough to offer comfort if needed; she was grateful for that.

Kirito tilted his head slightly, as if prompting her to start at her own accordance; Yuuki simply sighed and began to talk, furling one hand into the plain sheets for some level of support.

"I guess I should start with the fact that I'm not... or wasn't an only child; I had a twin sister, Aiko." She paused briefly to glace over at Kirito, only to see the expected surprise of such a revelation. "On the day we were due, my mother ran into issues during the labour, dystocia, or something like that. Either way, it meant she had to get a caesarean and that turned out to be a mess too; there was an accident, somewhere along the line they had to give her blood to keep us alive... but that turned out to be the worst mistake of all."

Yuuki took in yet another deep breath, glancing up at the swirling patterns etched across the white plaster of the ceiling.

"That blood, the blood they gave my Mother was contaminated... more specifically it was contaminated with HIV, the drug resistant variant." She gripped the sheets tighter as she continued, "It then infected my mother, sister and eventually, my father; but for whatever reason, not me. I had to watch, over the years, as they gradually withered away, I couldn't do anything; no amount of drugs or additional blood transfusions would even slow it down, or stop it. Then, after a couple of years, the inevitable happened. They left me. No more playing with my sister, no more bedtime stories, there was no one I had left to care for me."

"Then came the governmental officials, the ones who were more interested in the assets and property my parents had left behind and not the little girl who was without a family; they did the bare minimum and shoved me in a local orphanage as quickly as they could. There wasn't even a search for potential foster families from the get go, I was just dropped there with nothing but a rucksack and whatever I was wearing at the time. That place was, is, the last place you'd want to end up as a kid; the staff didn't care, I don't think a single one ever asked my name and most of the other kids had never known their own parents and weren't so kind when they found out I'd know mine, that I'd once been happy."

Yuuki finally looked into Kirito's face and willed her eyes to stay dry before opening her mouth again.

"At first it wasn't too bad, they just ignored me, distanced themselves from me... but after a while it... they..."

 _Her shoulder blades slammed against the peeling wallpaper with a resounding thud; crumpling to the floor, the girl looked up in time to see the door to the room slam shut through the tears clinging to her eyelashes._

 _"Look at her!"_

 _Yuuki shrank away from the voices, the leering faces they were attached to; hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she cowered, backed into a corner._

 _"Aww, is baby Yuuki crying for Mummy and Daddy?"_

 _Yuuki started to sniffle at the mention of her parents; fresh tears joining the ones already present on her panic stricken face. A rough hand came down fast and hard slapping the girl across one of her sunken cheeks and knocking her sideways into the wall; her head hit the plaster with a sickening crack, as dust fell from a new split in the already tired decor._

 _Yuuki's sniffles began to break into choked sobs much to the amusement of the older children._

 _"Well stop your whining, you little bitch." one sneered, her face hidden in the shadow of the dimly lit room, "They're DEAD!" she bellowed the last word into Yuuki's face, fine spittle spraying the younger girl._

 _Yuuki let out a half-scream and sprang up, pushing away the hands and arms and tried in vain to run, determined to break free of the taunts and jeers if only for a moment. She only got a few, short paces before one of the larger kids caught her once more, not a second later a bat slammed into the back of her knees with the force of a freight train._

 _As the storm of blows rained down, and the feeble light slipped from her eyes only the chant broke through the enclosing cloud of unconsciousness enveloping her mind. "YUUKI, YUUKI, YUUKI, YU-_

"Yuuki, god, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Kirito's voice was feeble and broken, much like the girl who sat beside him; now wracked in silent sobs that shook her slender frame from head to toe. Gently, he pulled Yuuki as close as he could, every tremble, soft and hard only served to make her distress more evident through the persistent vibrations they sent rocking though his body.

"Yuuki I..."

Yuuki, her head now burrowed in Kirito's chest, felt wet land and run down a strand of her violet tresses; looking up, she saw Kirito; tears streaming down his cheeks, much like her own.

"H-hey" Yuuki placed a hand upon Kirito's quickly moistening cheek, her voice rough and gravely.

"I-I'm alright, j-just a little exhausted after going through that is all, I'm fine now, really." Her words sounded limp and empty even to her and she knew by the shaking of Kirito's head he hadn't bought it either.

"Don't lie Yuuki, you were never very good at it anyways." he choked. The two shared a desperate laugh at that, despite the tears still running in ceaseless streams down each of their faces.

"Don't lie, you don't have too; tell me everything, tell me how you really feel, how you really are and I'll stand by you, I promise." He pulled her into an embrace, "Trust me... I... I love you Yuuki."

Yuuki let out a shaky gasp, nodding her head in agreement. "O-Okay, just please promise it to me again." she whispered, tears pooling at the corners of her own eyes; Kirito's gaze met hers jet black meeting brilliant scarlet once more.

"Stay with me."

"Always."

With that conformation, Yuuki reluctantly drew away from the warmth of Kirito's chest and drew the tip of her finger over the now visible white lines and scores that encircled both her knees, feeling Kirito's eyes follow the same gruesome tapestry.

"When the beatings first started it was fists and feet; not exactly pleasant but I could handle it y'know?" Yuuki paused and her voice became quieter. "The issue was that after a while it became whatever they could lay their hands on. Bottles, Hockey sticks, Baseball bats, you name it."

She felt Kirito's body stiffen beside her and she looked hesitantly up into his face, "And... and no-one helped you?" he whispered, his eyes further dampening with obvious disbelief and rage; Yuuki nodded in response.

"As I said, none of the staff cared, if I complained they just chalked it up to stories and blamed the cuts and broken bones on a fall down the stairs every time. All the while, those bastards knew where to hit, knees, hips, elbows, made it more difficult for me to run away." she shuddered and drew herself closer to Kirito, pulling her head back to its perch on his chest.

"To draw a long and agonizing story to a close, it went on for years; I got so bad that simply walking was beyond excruciating. Some when, one of the dimwit staff had enough sense to send me to a hospital. Thankfully, they kept me there after they realised how bad I was; mended my bones as best they could and put me through physiotherapy to try and help me get back to walking and maybe even running." Yuuki's eyes glazed over with memories far too numerous and painful to count.

"Thing was though, I was never really right again, after all the fractures, breaks and surgeries it just didn't feel like _my_ body anymore; it felt awkward, impossible to move in properly. That's what lead me here actually, they put me inside one of the NerveGear units in a hope that if I could walk in an undamaged, realistic avatar in SAO, I could regain some of that ability in the real world."

Kirito's eyes widened in realization. "It worked then, you're a total badass here, even if you have some moments where you need to slow down!"

Yuuki smiled sadly. "That's just it; in this world, I can walk but those 'slowdowns' are the remains of my brain fighting my ability too, and the physical scars run too deep for even the NerveGear's body scan to ignore."

Before Yuuki could register that he was doing it, Kirito cupped his hand over one of her scarred knees; the initial shock and subsequent alien feeling of brilliant and comforting warmth rushing into the permanent scars letting her only gasp in response.

"Physical or mental, permanent or not; I don't want you to ever hide anything you think is shameful about you from me again Yuuki, you know why?"

Yuuki simply stared back into his eyes, their depths burning with something so fiery and sincere it left her momentarily speechless.

"Because I love you, simple as that, all of you; and no matter how bloody shameful you think a side of you is, you can be damned sure it's another side I'll learn to love." The young man finished with a line of steel in his voice, one that wholly convinced her of what he was saying.

After recovering from Kirito's words Yuuki didn't bother with words, she simply kissed him; it conveyed with it every bit of gratitude that she could muster and a positive return to every word he had spoken. Breaking away after a long while, and with her heart racing, she stood quickly and finally found her voice.

"T-thank you... really... I... don't move okay?. I'll be back in a second."

Not waiting to see his confused look, Yuuki half-ran into the adjacent bathroom; just keeping her rampant nerves at bay, and wondering whether this was the right thing to do, she quickly fumbled with her character screen on her game window and removed all equipment down to her base underwear. Forcing her rampant blush down, she offered herself a shy smile in the mirror.

Finally after a deep breath and some final hesitation, she walked back out the bathroom switching off the lights as she did. Kirito was sat on the corner of the bed, his eyes trained on his menu; reallocating slots for the various items he had acquired throughout the Labyrinth earlier, no doubt fretting over whether he had upset her or not. Hearing the bathroom door click shut, she saw him close down the featured window with a dismissive wave of his right hand; he quickly looked up and stopped abruptly, any awkward greeting or apology he had fashioned freezing like ice in his throat.

Yuuki stood shyly in the dimly lit room wearing nothing but the maroon underwear she had left the bathroom in. Slowly approaching Kirito, she placed a hand on each of his shoulders and pushed him gently back on the bed, clumsily straddling his chest all while trying to ignore the inferno of red currently both her own face and his; leaning so her face rested just above his she spoke to him in a tone barley above a whisper.

"Just two things Kirito; first things first, I love you too, I'm sorry it took an account of my entire torrid past for me to say it. Secondly, I have nothing to hide from you. Nothing. Not anymore, and if you're okay with it... I'd like to prove that to you here and now."

Kirito looked back at her with a mixture of amusement, concern and unbridled love. "Only if you're sure you want too."

Yuuki didn't bother with a response, instead, she simply pushed her lips against Kirito's with all the passion and force she could muster.

Author's Note: We're back! Long story short, I was planning to surprise you lot with three chapters at once; I even tried switching to newer software to write with to improve quality in editing and the such. However, it seems that the absolute bellends over at the Microsoft Teams and Word Online, decided to randomly delete two months of work. I'm no stranger to the service and it just vanished, so here we are. On the bright side I'm now back to my trust and _totally_ legitimate version of Office from about 2008; it's never felt better to be home. Thanks to anyone who has stuck with this story, it means a great deal to see this pet project enjoyed by even a couple of people, and it astounds me it reached as many as it has.

 **Please leave a review** with feedback, it always helps and motivates me even more than the new seasons of Doctor Who, RWBY and SAO are already doing.

 _Till next time!_


	10. Chapter Eight: Aftermath

_Aincrad, Floor 64: Village of QROW 10:47 AST (Aincrad Standard Time)_

"Mhhhm..." A strong sensation of warmth rushed over Kirito as he awoke, sleep clouded ebony eyes peering idly from behind his parting eyelids as the usual view of the rented inn room's discoloured celling greeted his slightly distorted gaze. Yawning, he attempted to sit up, grimacing at the fatigue that clung to his recently reawakened muscles, managing to raise himself only a couple of inches before dropping back to the cushioned mattress with a surprised 'whumph' as he acknowledged a foreign weight resting upon his bare chest.

He looked down and chuckled warmly.

Masses of lavender hair splayed across his torso in an unending sprawl, the fugitive shards of lights that penetrated the rooms blinds casting the normally tempered purple into brighter shades of cheerful violet. Casting a weary glance at his sleeping partner's face revealed relaxed, peaceful features that showed no sign of the fierce, indomitable warrior that hid behind closed crimson orbs: When asleep all that remained was the dainty teenage visage.

He felt his own features melting into a smile, and raised a hand to stroke through the mop of unruly hair which threatened to engulf him.

"Rise and shine Yuuki'" he laughed once more at the muffled protests from the sleeping woman as she attempted shrug off the hand that threatened to break her slumber, ignoring her protests, he continued the menstruations to her scalp, gradually coaxing the slumbering swordswoman back to the world of the living.

"Morning sleepy head." Kirito murmured as Yuuki's eyes finally fluttered open, followed by a suitably loud yawn.

"Mornin' Ki." Yuuki looked up at his raised face from her position, the parts, pieces and memories from the previous night, leading up to her current predicament slowly falling into place as they held one another's gaze. He suppressed a snicker as her cheeks darkened with a smattering of red.

"So we?"

"Yup."

"As in-"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh."

Kirito again tried, and failed, to supress laughter from bubbling up in his throat at the famed swordstress' stunted reply, her blush only growing deeper as she felt the bare skin of his chest rub tauntingly against her cheek as he chuckled at her; she raised an arm to cover her face in embarrassment.

"You're the absolute worst, ya' can't just laugh at a lady like that." she hissed, failing to inject any actual malice into her tone, to her own irritation.

"Hey, hey, hey, you can't blame me, that expression was just too priceless! Besides, this entire operation was your idea."

He started to chortle again as she could only groan in response.

"…I suppose you're right, I'm not complaining, but isn't morning after pillow talk meant to be a little more, I don't know, _romantic,_ than confusion, mortifying embarrassment and then laughter."

Kirito, just raised an eyebrow at her and grinned.

"Isn't that just a perfect summary of our entire relationship though?"

Yuuki stared at him for a moment before conceding defeat.

"Fair play, fair play. Anyways, I think I need a shower to freshen up and get rid of this bloody blush, and then…"

"Breakfast?" Kirito finished.

"Yup."

"Gee, how could I guess?"

"Oi, you're a witty one this mornin' aren't ya?"

Kirito went to answer but stopped when he saw the devilish smirk plastered across her face, a sure sign he had just walked into a devious trap.

"Shower time!"

Without warning Yuuki threw the covers off herself, jumped from the bed and rising to stare down at the still stunned Kirito, her smirk still growing. The Black Swordsman himself just gulped in response, trying to looking anywhere but Yuuki's bare frame as she started to snicker, leaning down to murmur in his ear.

"Aww, Ki' what's the matter, cat got your tongue?"

"…"

Bellowing at laughter at his lack of response, she straightened up and shot him a quick peace sign before strolling towards the bathroom, a shit eating grin still firmly plastered to her face, leaving the dumbfounded Kirito in her wake. Stepping into the shower Yuuki hummed softly to herself as the water cascaded down her; collecting her thoughts, her mind drifted to the previous night, causing a small smile to grace her lips as she busied herself with the cathartic task of washing herself.

Reluctantly, Yuuki eventually turned off the stream of water and stepped out, her hand opening the character screen and reequipping her usual outfit which had been hastily discarded the previous night. Slicking back her still damp lilac bangs, she gave her appearance a quick once over before opening the bathroom door and exiting, smiling and softly giggling at the sight of the back of a still shell-shocked Kirito finishing reequipping his own gear, clearly suffering from the hormonal torture she had dropped upon him. Deciding he'd suffered long enough, and moving quietly, she walked up behind him and snaked her arms round his chest in a warm embrace, pulling him close.

"Ready? Sorry if that show earlier was a little too much."

Kirito snorted softly, leaning back into the embrace.

"To use your own words, I'm not complaining, just warn me a little next time, I enjoy avoiding heart attacks where possible. C'mon, let's go, bet you're pretty hungry after… well."

Yuuki giggled at his awkwardness and nodded her agreement, grabbing one of his hands to lead him out the door.

 _/Scene Change/_

Eventually, after multiple childish bouts of mock-bickering, the two clearers decided upon a restaurant, a small, quaint establishment huddled in the spawn town of Floor 33, dubbed 'La Meat Toboggan' which had been recommended to the two as having excellent food at pound store prices; a perfect combination for any tight pocketed player. Namely Kirito.

"H-how are you doing anyways?" Yuuki looked up from her meal in surprise at Kirito's line of questioning.

"What do you mean?" she asked, one eyebrow disappearing up into the purple locks. "Y-you know, after..." he trailed off his cheeks burning, "I didn't, y'know, hurt you?"

Yuuki's own cheeks briefly flashed scarlet before her composure returned, "Not really, quite the opposite in fact." Her eyes briefly took on a thoughtful glaze as she looked down into the depths of her tea before returning to his gaze.

"Talking to you about… everything, about me, about my past, about how that's changed me; it… it helped more than _anything,_ so thank you for staying, thanks… for just being you."

"R-Really?" Kirito's blush deepened further, always terrible at accepting compliments.

Yuuki giggled softly, a trademark smirk gently replacing her neutral expression whilst she placed a hand upon own outstretch one.

"I'm sure K', it was wonderful, thanks to you and Elucidator Jr there."

He looked up in confusion briefly, "Elucidat- ?" his face suddenly burned crimson once more as he processed Yuuki's comment, "Y-YUUKI!"

She laughed jubilantly at his flustered expression before her own melted back into a gentle smile, "Ok, ok I'll stop." Taking a moment to compose herself, she continued.

"But really thank you, that meant a lot to me, it was the first time I've ever, y'know..." a mirrored blush painted her own face as Kirito squeezed her dainty hand and smiled, her own blush gradually reduced and she returned the gesture.

"There is something else I've wanted to ask you..." her voice trailed off as if she seemed to gather her thoughts once more, "When this game is cleared... when we're booted back into the real world, will we ever see each other again?" her voice seemed to catch and she cleared her throat before continuing, "I mean, I obviously want to find you after, but I don't exactly have many other priorities once I get back. I have time to search; I didn't want you to assume that I thought you had to drop everything, friends, family, just to come looking for me…"

Kirito once again looked at her incredulously, "Of course I'll come looking for you Yu', as soon as possible, we both live in Tokyo after all, it wouldn't be any trouble at all, and..." he looked deep into her eyes and sighed as words failed him as they always did, "..and, you know me, I'm a giant sap, I don't think I could or want to manage without you a second more than I have too."

Yuuki sniffed, in attempt to stop tears from breeching the defences of her eyes, as Kirito finished.

"Thank you Ki', y'know I haven't had the… easiest life." her eyes flickered with long harboured ghosts for a fleeting moment before rebounding to a joyous glow, "But… right here, in this castle, in this moment, it's by far the happiest it's been." With that, and a warm smile exchanged, the two returned to their meal.

It was sometime before Yuuki drew his attention again for anything but pleasant small talk, the two having finished their meals and were now aimlessly wandering the streets and vending stalls of Floor 33.

"Hey, if you're up for some excitement today I think we should head to Floor 72, I hear the clearers are struggling with the field bosses; something about not having enough D.P.S players, you in?"

Kirito's raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "72?" his expression only grew more confused as Yuuki nodded, "We only just reached that Floor why the sudden push?"

Such speed was indeed confusing, Aincrad's field bosses were usually only situated in the infamous Labyrinths, which in turn were located at the very end of a Floor, connecting it to the upper levels; being as they were, dangerous by their very design and only increasing in size, it usually took a great deal of time and caution to clear one.

"Heathcliff" came Yuuki's terse reply, Kirito's face immediately darkened and he shared a grim look with her.

"He's back?" she nodded,

"Apparently KOB's reconstruction is finished, he's back on the front lines. Word has it he's making up for lost time."

Heathcliff, master of the Knights of the Blood Oath, had pulled the guild from the front lines after Asuna's murder for an apparent vetting of all members to ensure no further incidents occurred, the guilds return was a game changer, whether for the better or not, was certainly questionable.

Kirito let out a heated sigh, a gloved hand coming up to rub his strained temple. "His constant pressure to push further and harder, without care is the _exact_ reason we lost so many, not just her..."

Yuuki's face dropped as she saw Kirito crumple slightly at the mention of Asuna's loss, then again, the scars of her loss still lingered on all of the clearers close to her.

"I promise you we, I, won't let it be the same this time. We'll look out for one another you know we will." she pulled Kirito into her arms in the street, not sparing a care for the glances it got her from nearby players; stroking his raven hair tentatively, she felt him relax into the embrace, savouring the warmth that poured from the swordswoman.

"I _ca-n-n't_ lose you Yu. _Please._ " he mumbled into her hair, the smell of her shampoo invading his senses. Yuuki pulled him back slightly and stared into his eyes her own filled with burning determination that seemed to burn straight through him.

"I won't leave you alone, not again, not ever I _won't_ allow it." He simply stared back at her, mesmerized by the inferno raging in her crimson orbs, he saw a promise among the flames and knew he wouldn't be left alone, not again; a small smile crested his lips and he answered meekly,

"Ok."

Yuuki pulled him back into the embrace allowing the emotions words couldn't express to flow through them, gently separating Yuuki smiled at him, "So, Labyrinth time?"

Kirito smiled once more, the anguished memories extinguished, "Defiantly."

 _/Scene Change/_

"Attack coming in from the left!"

Yuuki raised her lilac longsword to deflect the incoming attack from the axe wielding field boss, the axe's jagged head grating off the smooth surface of the blade with a monolithic _clang_ before rebounding, the figure staggering back from the force of the colossal momentum being reversed against it. Taking the initiative, Yuuki renewed her assault, activating the one handed swordskill _'Vertical Square'_ , she launched herself at the boss, the four consecutive hits from her blade each hitting their mark with frightening accuracy as they tore an equal number of wounds into the Boss' bedraggled flesh, creating a pale lavender square that hung in the air for an instant before shattering.

"Switch" she yelled, springing dexterously backwards out of the boss' attack range as Kirito rushed forward, the single hit skill _'Vorpal Strike'_ multiplying his speed beyond usual player limits; Elucidator little more than a red tinged, ebony blur as the boss was struck with the full might of the Black Swordsman's signature move. Finally, inundated with scarlet lines, and its health bar dissolved, the Level 80 Field Boss "Tyrian" reared its head and burst into numerous aqua coloured shards with a final defiant roar.

Kirito allowed his shoulders to slump as oxygen rattled into his overworked lungs, the tip of Elucidator piercing shallowly into the ground as he lent on it, legs threatening to collapse; Yuuki enveloped him in a hug from behind, her own breathing as strained as his own.

"W-we did it Ki'!" she heaved, clasping him tightly and pulling both of them onto the soft blades grass beneath their feet.

"G-guess we did" he chuckled weakly as the exhaustion involved with beating an incredibly high levelled Field Boss caught up with them both in its entirety. The two warriors lay for a moment, allowing them to regain their breath and slow their racing hearts, only interrupted when they became aware of the distinct sound of footfall approaching. A stern and slightly bemused voice rising above the growing noise.

"Well, well it seems someone has beaten us to the boss. Men, at ease, lower your weapons." Yuuki sat bolt upright at the voice, feeling Kirito follow suit, there was no mistaking the gravelly voice, the unruly silver hair and the crimson armour the figure was clad in, Yuuki saw Kirito stiffen out the corner of her eye and then stand quickly, his fist clenched around the hilt of his sword.

"Heathcliff" he growled.

Author's Note: Well, this is embarrassing… _five months?_ That's awful even by my, convoluted, mismanaged release schedule. It seems I always have to have an excuse lined up as these delays seen to grow longer and longer, so I'll keep it short; my existing PC decided to fry itself and I moved house, which all took up a couple of months.

As for the other couple? Honestly, I was doubting whether I should or shouldn't continue this story as I wasn't convinced, I was up to the task of doing it the justice it deserved, as work has simply been draining my confidence in and enthusiasm to write. Luckily, I'm back on track(ish) now thanks in no small part to all the brilliant and eager comments that have trickled in and to those people, you know who you are, _thank you._

The next hiatus won't be as long, with the projects I've got lined up however, it may still take until next month. Thanks for all the support and views, it's good to see this story is enjoyed.

As always, _**please leave a review**_ , whether to say you liked it, or thought it was shit, it all helps.

 _Till next time!_


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